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uptake

American  
[uhp-teyk] / ˈʌpˌteɪk /

noun

  • uptakes
    plural
  1. apprehension; understanding or comprehension; mental grasp.

    quick on the uptake.

  2. an act or instance of taking up; a lifting.

    the uptake of fertilizer by machines.

  3. Also called take-upMachinery. a pipe or passage leading upward from below, as for conducting smoke or a current of air.

  4. Physiology. absorption.


uptake British  
/ ˈʌpˌteɪk /

noun

  1. a pipe, shaft, etc, that is used to convey smoke or gases, esp one that connects a furnace to a chimney

  2. mining another term for upcast

  3. taking up or lifting up

  4. the act of accepting or taking up something on offer or available

  5. informal quick to understand or learn

  6. informal slow to understand or learn

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

uptake Idioms  

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of uptake

1810–20; up- + take; compare take-up

Vocabulary lists containing uptake

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Trials of the self-testing in London suggest it could lead to one in 10 women to come forward for screening – boosting uptake by around 400,000 a year.

From BBC Aug. 24, 2026

The study will run into 2028, testing two low doses of Wegovy, and follows the company disclosing recently that uptake of the pill had been particularly strong for its lowest doses across self-paying patients.

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 24, 2026

Needham analyst Ryan MacDonald noted commentary from management indicating uptake of Doximity’s AI offerings.

From MarketWatch Aug. 7, 2026

The costs this year would probably run into the hundreds of millions, the source said, adding that the exact figure was uncertain and depended on uptake.

From Barron's Jul. 29, 2026

Ned repeated, a little slow on the uptake.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

"Basically, these are all just different systems of encapsulating your molecule so that the bodily more readily uptakes it," Boyar says.

From Salon Mar. 4, 2023

Tower Hamlets has seen one of the lowest uptakes of vaccines in the UK throughout the pandemic.

From BBC Apr. 6, 2022

Both Iberian countries have high vaccine uptakes, with close to 90% of people eligible for the jabs receiving them.

From Seattle Times Dec. 7, 2021

Italy has one of the highest vaccine uptakes in the world with 80% of the population having received either one or two jabs, while around 15% of people have had a booster shot.

From Reuters Dec. 6, 2021

The uptakes by which the waste gases were conveyed to the funnels were united immediately above the water-tight bulkhead which separated the boiler rooms.

From Loss of the Steamship 'Titanic' by British Government

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